Combatting The Spread Of Wildfires From The Sky

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]Nature creates some of the most extreme conditions on Earth. And when a fire breaks out in the most rugged, unreachable terrain in the country, there's only one way in. And we talk about everyone's commute to work looks a little different. And for some, that actually means jumping out of a plane straight towards the flames. Tonight, we take you inside the world of smokejumpers, the elite firefighters dropping into the front lines of America's wildfires. I had the chance to speak with a US wildland fire service smokejumper to talk all things training, terrain, and what it really takes to fight these fires up close. Check it out.

[00:00:34]Jacob, thank you for being with us here.

[00:00:36]For anyone unfamiliar, what exactly is a smokejumper and what circumstances is called for your team instead of the traditional ground crews that we see?

[00:00:44]Yeah, so a smokejumper is a specifically trained group of individuals that will respond to wildfires. And we respond through a plane and jumping out of that plane.

[00:00:56]And uh our main thing is that we are an IA resource, initial attack. So, our goal is to get to the fire as soon as possible while it's small and to put it out.

[00:01:07]And when we think about this, most people they picture fighting fires and they have ladders, they have hoses, they got the trucks there. But you're actually jumping out of a plane. I mean, it's into rugged terrain. Can you walk us through what that first minute on the ground may be like and what kind of equipment you're carrying into the fires?

[00:01:22]Yeah, it's a it's big rush um when you're flying your parachute to the ground. Once you get to the ground now the jumpers are all together.

[00:01:30]They're going to go ahead and start cargo operations. Once cargo operations are in effect we'll be taking out your fire boxes and your saw boxes, which will have your chainsaw and fire tools to get on the ground and fight fire as soon as possible. And so, when you're talking about chainsaws, it's because you're trying to build kind of like a perimeter or containment within. And can you kind of describe that equipment that you're talking about? What is that used for when you're battling the wildfire?

[00:01:54]Right. So, when we're battling a wildfire, we have chainsaws and hand tools. And our main task is building fire line.

[00:02:02]So, you're cutting out a saw line to remove any brush, timber, that may impact the fire and continue it to run.

[00:02:09]And then the hand tools will be used to dig fire line, digging into bare mineral soil. Of course, we're Fox Weather, right? We're focusing on the weather element of that.

[00:02:18]How much does wind actually factor into that danger? Cuz it's talks about how fast the fire can spread, but what does it mean to you if it changes direction and ultimately you're kind of coordinating with the team on the ground in real time in this intense environment? Wind is a big factor in weather as far as being on a wildfire, and it can change almost instantly, whether if that's speed or wind direction, and will change the fire ultimately. We try our best to always switch our tactics or strategies to accommodate to that, especially for fire safety, but ultimately weather does have a big factor, and wind is one of those.

[00:02:53]And we know that this is something that happens yearly, right? There's the wildfire season, and after all that training you've been through, all the jumps, all the fires you've been on, what still surprises you or amazes you about your job as a smoke jumper? Yeah, I would say what still surprises me being a smoke jumper would be the group of individuals that I work alongside, my co-workers, but also the smoke jumpers before me that built what we have today as far as our smoke jumping operations and how we work. Jacob Alvarez, smoke jumper, thank you so much for being with us here on Fox Weather today.